Send to a friendJon Huntsman - What went wrong?

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Ed EspinozaWestern states Democratic consultant; former DNC official :

Jon Huntsman is a smart, affable guy who simply failed to come up with a compelling case for his candidacy. The two biggest news days of his campaign were his announcement speech and his withdrawal speech, and his organization suffered an identity crisis during the months in between. There was no defining issue to advance and no cause to champion - nothing to separate him from the pack.

Both a governor and a former ambassador to China, Huntsman was the only candidate in the race with the kind of experience well-suited for the presidency. But he clearly had a lot of internal conflict in which direction to take his campaign.

He was never comfortable taking definitive positions: I specifically recall two times during debates when moderators pitched him perfect opportunities to take swipes at Mitt Romney, but he didn't cease the moment. Ok, maybe he doesn't like negative campaigning - fair enough. But then there were also times where he was teed-up with opportunities to talk about China and foreign policy, and he didn't seize those moments either. The campaign also had an identity crisis in structure. Huntsman - the former Utah governor - initially set up his headquarters in Florida, then later relocated it to New Hampshire - along with moving there himself.

In politics - it's not always the smartest ones who survive, it's the strongest ones. And making the transition from capable statesman to rough-and-tumble candidate proved to be a big hurdle for Huntsman.

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